Escaping the Cage
by Presence
Summary: It is the third birthday of the Hyuuga heiress, and Neji's conflicting emotions about what is about to happen to his son Hizashi are weighing him down. However, things don't go the way he expects...


Disclaimer: Naruto is not my property. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

Seven year old Hizashi stretched and glanced at his watch. When he realised what time it was, he yelped and leapt out of bed. He washed, brushed his teeth and dressed in lightning quick time, then raced down the stairs, panting. He turned the corner into the kitchen and nearly ran into his father, pivoting on his toes at the last moment. 

"Ahh! Father, why didn't you wake me up? We're going to be late for Hiori-chan's birthday party!" He sounded so serious and reprimanding that Neji couldn't help but smile despite himself.

"Don't worry Hizashi; we've got plenty of time. The ceremony doesn't start until midday, so sit down and have your breakfast first."

Hizashi, visibly calmed, nodded, and took his place at the table while Neji served the food. They ate in silence, until Neji asked,

"Why the big hurry?"

Hizashi finished eating his current mouthful before answering.

"She's turning three! That's a very important age," he said, nodding knowledgably.

Once again, Neji smiled. Still, on the inside he was torn. Turning three was in fact a very important age for members of the main house. It was the day when they had a member of the Branch House assigned to protect them. He looked down sadly at his son, who was oblivious to what was about to happen to him…

"Ahh!" cried Hizashi again. Neji nearly rolled his eyes. His son's dramatic antics could no doubt be traced back to two of the other male influences in his life…

"What is it?"

"I forgot to get her a birthday present! What should I do? There's no time left to-"

Neji interrupted his son. "There's no need to worry, I bought her something. Of course, you could try showing her some of the moves I taught you."

His son's face broke into a wide grin. "Yeah, that's a great idea! I wonder which one…"

Neji placed his plate in the sink and walked out onto the balcony, leaving his son to ponder over which move to show his little cousin (and to do the dishes). He leant on the rail and sighed. He'd always known that this would happen one day, just as it had happened to him. He knew how much Hizashi loved playing with Hiori, as if they were brother and sister, but after today…He shook his head. It had taken him years to get over his resentment towards Hinata, and he didn't want that to happen to his son-

"Father? Is there something wrong?" Hizashi interrupted this train of thought, tugging on Neji's sleeve. His father forced a smile. While it may not have fooled anyone using the Byakugan, of course his son trusted him. Hizashi gave a relieved smile.

"No, there's nothing. Come on, let's get you ready."

* * *

The two of them walked across the Hyuuga complex in their usual companionable silence. From time to time Hizashi would pipe up about how things were going in the academy, or how much he enjoyed spending time with his "Funny uncle Lee" (which really did cause Neji to roll his eyes) and Neji would respond with a few questions or words of encouragement before they both fell quiet again. 

The usually bustling complex was quiet today; no doubt that everyone was getting ready or had already left for the big event. Neji looked up at the sky and saw a few birds flying overhead. Hizashi followed his gaze. While they were looking, Neji's son remarked in a somewhat offhand manner,

"Oh yeah, I had a dream about being a bird last night. I'd been flying when suddenly this huge shadowy hand grabbed me out of the sky and put me in a cage."

Neji gave a start at this. "What happened next?" he inquired. His son gave an impish grin.

"The next time the hand opened the cage to put some food in, I escaped. I think I said something like 'You cannot contain the springtime of youth!'"

Neji, quite uncharacteristically, burst out laughing and ruffled his son's hair. "Good, always look for an opening. That's my son…" He trailed off after saying this. Hizashi picked up on this again, like the typically perceptive Hyuuga he was. He was about to ask what the matter was when Neji spoke up of his own accord.

"You know…maybe you're spending too much time with Lee…I suspect he may be a bad influence on you."

"Wha? Nooo!" cried his son, once again being dramatic. Neji laughed again at this reaction. _'Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of this,'_ he thought to himself. _'It doesn't really change much, does it?'_

But in his heart, he knew he didn't really believe that.

* * *

They arrived at the pavilion. Many non-Hyuuga's had come as well, such as his former team-mates and instructor. Neji and his son made their way over to them. Tenten caught sight of them first, waved and went over to greet them. She smiled at Neji, and then bent down to talk to Hizashi. 

"How's my favourite godson doing? You keeping up with your training?"

"I sure am!" he said, proudly. "Dad showed me this awesome move the other day, and I've been practicing it every day!"

Tenten laughed. "Well, don't overdo it, okay?" He nodded, promised that he wouldn't, then ran off to find his little cousin in the throng of the crowd. When he was out of earshot, Tenten turned to Neji.

"How're you holding up?" she asked. Neji responded by shaking his head. She sighed. "Don't let it get you down. It'll be fine, you'll see." Neji nodded, but they both knew he didn't share her optimism.

Just then, the friendly chatter that had been running through the crowd quietened down. Neji could see Hinata, her daughter and her husband making their way through the crowd. He picked his way over to the front, standing by his son. As they were passing, his son tugged on his sleeve.

"Doesn't she look cute today father?" he whispered. When his father said nothing, he turned to face him. "…What's wrong father? Why won't you tell me?"

Neji gave a start. "Huh? Oh…it's nothing…"

At that moment, Hinata spotted them and smiled, and turned to greet them. Hiori clung to her kimono, much like Hinata had done herself with Hiashi, all those years ago…

Neji bowed stiffly. "Hinata-sama. Hokage-sama. Hiori-sama is already three, congratulations." He knew he was being cold, and he wasn't usually like this, but he couldn't help himself. The bitterness was welling up and there was nothing he could do to stop it. At that moment, Hiori's father crouched down and ruffled Hizashi's hair.

"Hey little man. What's up?"

"Um, n-nothing much Hokage-sama…"

"Hey, I've told you about that! It's always Uncle Naruto, no matter what your father says!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Neji and swept Hizashi up onto his shoulders, causing the boy to whoop in excitement. "I hope you got my little girl something nice! Turning three's important y'know!"

Hizashi nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I was gonna show her a move father taught me, if that's alright?" He whispered into Naruto's ear something which Neji couldn't hear.

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Rokudaime Hokage. He turned to the boy's father. "I'll take Hizashi now, Neji," he said. Neji just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Naruto broke off and went back to his family's side. Hinata gave Neji a smile (apologetic? He couldn't tell for sure), which he wasn't sure he managed to return, and then the three of them went off ahead. Neji turned around to fade back into the crowd, and was met face to face with Lee.

"It'll be okay Neji," said his old friend, striking up the "Nice Guy" pose. Neji didn't know what they were getting at. It wasn't him who was getting a curse seal branded on his forehead that day…He brushed Lee off, and went over to stand by the podium, where Naruto had stood up and grabbed the mike. Hizashi was sitting down next to little Hiori, her mother sitting on her other side.

"Hey everyone," he began, "I'd firstly like to thank you all for coming. Traditionally, this has always been a big day for the Hyuuga family, and today is no different. However, I'd like to announce that there's been a change of plans."

Neji's head snapped up at that. Naruto glanced in his direction and winked, then carried on talking. "For as long as we in Konoha can remember, the Hyuuga's have been divided into two parts; the Main House and the Branch house. Today, there's going to be a change in this tradition."

A murmur ran through the crowd, particularly noticeable from the elder members of the Main family.

"In Konoha, we pride ourselves on teamwork, supporting each other, and even making sacrifices for the greater good of the village. However, this tradition in the Hyuuga family goes against these beliefs. We believe that your life should not be predetermined and that you should always fight to change what others might view to be your destiny. Everything should be open to choice, and through hard work, you should be able to accomplish anything. Before I go on, I'd like my nephew Hizashi to demonstrate something."

Hizashi got up from the seat and made his way forward, looking incredibly nervous. Naruto gave him an encouraging smile, which seemed to bolster his confidence. He scanned the crowd until he found his father's face. After locking onto Neji, Hizashi took and deep breath and…

"No way!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Such talent!"

Even Neji himself was shocked. He had only shown his son the move twice and demonstrating the technique as well as explaining the theory behind it, and that had been several months ago. How was it possible for his seven-year-old son to be able to perform the Kaiten?

Naruto patted the boy on the back, and cheers erupted from the crowd. Flushed but happy, Hizashi sat back in his seat, while Hiori clapped excitedly with the rest of the crowd. When the noise had died down, Naruto began to speak again.

"This is a prime example of what the division in the Hyuuga family can do. This is not the first time that the Branch house has seen a genius of such ability, and it is likely due to the fact that many branch members feel the need to excel above the Main house. They will wear their forehead protectors like proud Konoha shinobi, even if just to cover up the curse seal we know is underneath, and they will take part in missions, to excellent achievements. In contrast, the Main house has become complacent, rarely taking part in missions and training only with each other.

"This lack of development is what I want to change in the Hyuuga family. That is why from today, there will be no more caging of birds, and no more attaching of the curse seals. I wish to remove the Main/Branch house divide, for the good of the family, and the good of Konoha itself."

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the senior members of the Main house erupted. One very elderly member spoke up above the noise.

"Who are you to change what has been tradition for so long? The Byakugan is one of Konoha's most prized abilities; shouldn't you understand the need to protect it?"

"What is the point of protecting a skill at the loss of a valuable member to the village?" retorted Naruto. "As Hokage, I understand the need to protect our secrets. However, I also understand that I need to protect the shinobi under me more. When Uchiha Sasuke, the last true user of the Sharingan left Konoha, we did not send out an entire squad of elite Jounin to bring him back. We understood that the need to show Konoha was not greatly weakened due to the loss of Sandaime Hokage was far more important. That is the case now.

"And as to "who am I to change the tradition"? While you may not feel that the Hokage has any influence on what goes on in the Hyuuga family, I am not alone in what I believe."

At that point, Hinata stood up. Behind her, Hanabi and Hiashi stood as well. Neji was stunned. Hinata he could understand and even Hanabi, but even Hiashi? The former head of the family took the microphone, bowing as he did so. "Thank you. Yes, from the moment I heard my brother's reason for sacrificing himself to the cloud, I realised what was happening in the Branch house, but I had been unable to change that. Now, I finally can." His eyes locked on Neji's. "I hope you can all forgive me for not doing what I could sooner." He handed the mike back to Naruto and sat back down.

Naruto continued. "Work has already been started on methods of removing the curse seal. From now on, we plan on building a better Konoha, and unifying the Hyuuga family is an excellent way to start. We want all future Hyuuga's to be able to play together, just like my nephew and my daughter." His face had been quite serious throughout the entire speech. Now, it broke into its trademark widefaced grin, the one that had been immortalised by the image on the mountain above Konoha. "That's all I've got to say about that! Enjoy the free food, and I hope you've all brought expensive presents!"

This broke the ice and everyone laughed. Neji could see that there were still members of the Main house (_'**Former **main house' _his brain corrected) who didn't approve, but there didn't seem to be anything they could do except be disgruntled. He heard Tenten and Lee's from behind him.

"We told you it'd be alright. That's our Naruto, always surprising people."

Neji nodded, but didn't turn around. There were tears streaming down his face.

* * *

It had gotten dark, and most people had headed off home. Naruto grinned, exhausted but happy. Of course there had been people who disagreed with what he'd done, and he'd even been advised against it, but he knew it had been the right thing to do. Besides, any complaints would have to be filed, and he did even less paperwork than Old Lady Tsunade. Just then, out of the shadows stepped Neji. 

"Oh, hey Neji," he greeted him, warmly. "Hizashi's back with Hiori, I'll just go get-" He has interrupted as Neji all but flung himself on the ground, prostrating before him. Naruto rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. Even in all those years, nothing much had changed.

"Hey, knock that out man." When Neji didn't move, he sighed. "Seriously, get up. I made a promise to you, that once I become Hokage I'd change the Hyuugas. I don't go back on my word."

He grabbed Neji by the arm, and pulled him up into a hug. "You've got a great kid there. I'm glad was able to do what I did." They separated. Just as they did so, Hizashi appeared around the corner, carrying a back which no doubt contained various tooth rotting substances. He ran up to his father's side and waved at Hinata, who appeared shortly after he did, carrying a sleeping Hiori.

They exchanged goodbyes, Neji hugging Hinata and kissing Hiori on the forehead, before leaving. Hinata rested her head on Naruto's shoulder, smiling happily as they watched Neji walk off, Hizashi bouncing around him.

"That's a wonderful thing you did for him you know," she whispered. "I'm so proud of you."

"Yeah…" said Naruto. He didn't sound overly happy. She turned to him, worried.

"What's wrong? Did something happen between you two?"

"No…" said Naruto, shaking his head. "It's just…he never gave Hiori a birthday present!"

Hinata nearly burst out laughing. "I remember seeing him at toy store a while back, I'm sure it just slipped his mind. You did spring a huge revelation on them all, after all."

"I suppose," grumbled Naruto. "He'd better give it soon though; otherwise I'll draw the curse seal on Hizashi's head while he's sleeping, just to freak him out."

This time Hinata did laugh, kissing her husband on the cheek. She was really lucky to have him, just like the rest of Konoha.

* * *

And that's that. I tried to plug in as many references to the Manga as possible, so try looking around chapters 100-105. A lot of lifted dialogue for the whole "déja-vu" effect, Anyway, I worked really hard on this, so I would greatly appreciate any reviews you guys leave. Thanks, and see you again soon! 


End file.
